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diary of an artist at work

Serendipity! 1.0

MaryAnn Shupe and I connected online through our blogs several years ago and became friends as we commented back and forth and also began texting and emailing each other.

Recently, she started a project, a make-and-give-away project involving Joy Journals; might I want one?

Yes, please, MaryAnn, I’d love a Joy Journal. Please use papers from your vast collection, please include cyanotype prints in the mix, please give me pockets I could fill with my own poems and art.

MaryAnn does just that, and I am dazzled!

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maker magic
              after Clyde Watson’s
              Catch me & Kiss me & Say it again

binding & pockets & cyanotypes
hold hands in a journal of joy
if ribbon wraps round
and env’lopes abound

if signatures fold
and bookmarks stand bold
then we’ve got the real-deal mccoy:

papers & postage stamps, dot grids & stripes,
binding & pockets & cyanotypes!

dotty seiter

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In a separate venture, in my own corner of the world, I create an eighth piece of art in my Make Yourself at Home series, a collaged piece called No Need to Knock —Come In, Come In!

No Need is tiny, quirky, irregularly shaped. Where on earth might it make itself at home?

It occurs to me after a bit that I could open my new Joy Journal to scout out a suitable pocket and—oh my gosh—I find a pocket holding a tiny envelope that is JUST the right size for No Need and is JUST the same yellow as that which appears in No Need!

Serendipity!

5 x 7″ Joy Journal made for me by MaryAnn
3 x 4″ art; 3.25 x 4.25″ envelope



8 responses to “Serendipity! 1.0”

  1. What a beautiful gift! So much packed in a small space! That is joy! You will have a great time with that book!

    A house within a house! Small with lots of power! So glad she found the perfect home!

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    1. Yes! That journal is joy! Tucking No Need into an envelope and then tucking the envelope into a pocket is my first step in becoming a co-creator of the journal since its arrival a few weeks ago. More to come!

      It was such fun to find a home for these houses, elevating No Need from scraps art to art which has the most imaginative and unusual “frame,” i.e. a designated space in a multilayered complex 3-D joy journal : )

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Joyful Puttering Avatar
    Joyful Puttering

    What a wonderful surprise to see your little Joy Journal in your post this morning! I absolutely loved making it. I had no idea that quirky little No Need to Knock house collage was that tiny…and the fact that it fit in that perfectly coordinated tiny envelope fills my heart with joy. Serendipity….indeed!

    Thank you for the shoutout…and thank you for embracing this journal. Getting to have a glimpse at something new that is inside fills me with joy. The journal is saying “Come In, Come In!”

    Your poem is just a delight! Now two makers are collaborating and making themselves right at home! Thank you for being an art partner and cheerleader!

    Like

    1. Isn’t the serendipity of No Need‘s finding a home in the deep yellow envelope you selected to include in the Joy Journal you made for me just so sweet??! As with you, that fills my heart with joy!

      Now that I’ve taken the first step in contributing to the JJ I’m excited to take additional steps. My house collage and the JJ are grinning and saying in chorus, “No need to knock! Come in, come in!”

      I had so much fun writing the poem to go with this post. I LOVE Clyde Watson’s nursery rhymes, and “Catch me & Kiss me & Say it again” gave me the perfect ditty to use as a springboard.

      Back atcha: thank you for bing an art partner and cheerleader!

      Liked by 1 person

  3. SQUEEEEEE A JOY JOURNAL! And one with the perfect pocket and envelope for your art! Holy macaroons! That irregularly shaped art piece just oozes peculiar beauty and celebrating the oddities of life! Along with your delicious poem…I feel fully infused with JOY and ready to begin the studio day! xoxo

    Like

    1. Isn’t this just spectacular malarkey and serendipity??! As the queen of peculiar beauty and celebration-inducing life-oddities, your SQUEEEEEE means so much to me, Lola! Thanks! Go forth with JOY into your studio day xoxo

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  4. Hi Dotty!

    I’m coming to your blog after seeing the link on Joyful Puttering and I love the poem you wrote about your joy journal! I’ve seen your comments on MaryAnn’s blog and it’s a pleasure to visit you and see your artwork which so perfectly fits into that little envelope! It’s so nice to meet another member of this joyful community!!

    Like

    1. Judy! What a delightful surprise to see you here this morning! I agree, wonderful to meet another member of MaryAnn’s joyful community! Thanks for enjoying my Joy Journal poem (great fun to create) and appreciating how perfectly my tiny collaged houses piece fit into and coordinated with the tiny envelope provided by MaryAnn.

      I took a quick look-see at your Art and Stitch blog and your recently completed embroidered Seasons book—so much beautiful and, I’m guessing, happy stitching there. I see the stitchwork and can feel the needle going up and down through the fabric : ) Did the booklet come pre-made with its grids on the pages, or is that all your handwork also?

      Like

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My Story

In 2014, I grab an unexpected opportunity to paint.

To make art.

I get hooked.

In 2015 I start a blog—a diary of my life as an artist.

I post my paintings and their stories. The good, the bad, the ugly.

My compass points: bust through fear, be playful, get messy, trust my gut.

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